In this modern society, phones have become a useful tool and a necessity in life. Unfortunately at the beginning of every school day in Colorado, all students are forced to relinquish their phones and other personal devices, or place them into boxes out of their control. While regulations on personal technology use in a school setting are important, banning them outright is careless, harmful, and potentially illegal. This petition hopes to inspire our lawmakers to alter or repeal House Bill 25-1135 and the policies surrounding it to make it more fair for students and their parents' freedoms. 

Students and many parents all over the state are unhappy with the policies because of how restrictive they are on daily life. Because of these policies students are unable to contact their parents in an emergency, and parents are unable to directly contact their children if need be.  

When the founding fathers wrote the constitution they did so in mind to protect the American people. Unfortunately, the case can be made that these phone policies are in violation of the 4th, 8th and 1st amendment. 

The 4th amendment prohibits unlawful search and seizure. Students' phones and other technological belongings are being taken without reason, as the devices are taken or locked away as school starts, despite the student not doing anything to deserve this, this also is the same for section 7 of article 2 of the Colorado constitution. The student doing nothing to deserve this punishment also violates the 8th amendment which makes cruel and unusual punishment illegal. It is incredibly unusual and unfair for a student to be punished in this way when they are innocent of any rule breaking. And the 1st amendment may have been broken as well. In House Bill 25-1135, one of the reasons they give as to why a phone ban may be a benefit is the use of social media. Courts in the states of Arkansas and Ohio have ruled that bans targeting minors' access to social media are in violation of the 1st amendment. While these court rulings have no power in Colorado, it does set president that the argument that minor social media restrictions are unlawful to hold water. 

A student's rights don't and shouldn't mean less because they are a minor. If you agree with the sentiment presented in this message, then please fight for students’ rights, sign the petition, and send this message to your local representative in government and other people that may be able to fight for change, let's get the government away from our students' mobile devices!